Research Impact

Why do we track research impact?

Why should I worry about it?

Tracking research impact may seem like an unwelcome additional step to the research process, but it is fundamental to how your work exists in the world. Too often, researchers complete a research project or manuscript and have little sense of how it is perceived by the academic community, or how their research is used and cited.

Research Impact Metrics should be used with caution, yet nonetheless provide a convenient quantification for how a research project is being discovered, read, and cited, which can be extremely useful for processes of tenure and promotion, grant application, and collaboration.

Tracking Research Impact can:

• Highlight the ways in which others are engaged with your research, including downloads and citations 

• Strengthen funding applications by demonstrating researcher efficacy and influence in the field

• Provide useful data applicable to career milestone, including annual reports, tenure and promotion applications, and awards 

This guide has been created by the Toronto Metropolitan University Library and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License unless otherwise marked.